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Best states for a vehicle inspector
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
It seems like vehicle inspectors are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for vehicle inspectors aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Pay, benefits, and opportunities vary greatly by state, and it's no different for vehicle inspectors. We found that Florida is the best state in the nation for vehicle inspectors, and people in Atlantic City earn the most in the field.
In order to get you the best states for vehicle inspectors, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that Florida is the best state for vehicle inspector jobs, whereas Washington is the worst.
10 best states for vehicle inspectors in 2025
1. Florida
Total vehicle inspector jobs: 549 Average annual salary: $54,146 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Location Quotient: 1.182. New Mexico
Total vehicle inspector jobs: 59 Average annual salary: $55,679 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Location Quotient: 1.013. Mississippi
Total vehicle inspector jobs: 90 Average annual salary: $48,654 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 1.424. Texas
Total vehicle inspector jobs: 638 Average annual salary: $48,574 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 1.055. New Jersey
Total vehicle inspector jobs: 164 Average annual salary: $66,026 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 0.696. Tennessee
Total vehicle inspector jobs: 185 Average annual salary: $47,498 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Location Quotient: 1.057. New York
Total vehicle inspector jobs: 402 Average annual salary: $51,083 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Location Quotient: 1.058. Kansas
Total vehicle inspector jobs: 71 Average annual salary: $52,619 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Location Quotient: 0.799. Michigan
Total vehicle inspector jobs: 237 Average annual salary: $47,441 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 1.0210. Arkansas
Total vehicle inspector jobs: 56 Average annual salary: $51,175 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 0.72
Vehicle inspector jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a vehicle inspector
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a vehicle inspector
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | $54,146 | $28,000 | 20,984,400 | 549 |
| 2 | New Mexico | $55,679 | $32,000 | 2,088,070 | 59 |
| 3 | Mississippi | $48,654 | $27,000 | 2,984,100 | 90 |
| 4 | Texas | $48,574 | $27,000 | 28,304,596 | 638 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $66,026 | $35,000 | 9,005,644 | 164 |
| 6 | Tennessee | $47,498 | $27,000 | 6,715,984 | 185 |
| 7 | New York | $51,083 | $27,000 | 19,849,399 | 402 |
| 8 | Kansas | $52,619 | $31,000 | 2,913,123 | 71 |
| 9 | Michigan | $47,441 | $27,000 | 9,962,311 | 237 |
| 10 | Arkansas | $51,175 | $29,000 | 3,004,279 | 56 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $45,959 | $24,000 | 12,805,537 | 379 |
| 12 | California | $52,192 | $30,000 | 39,536,653 | 876 |
| 13 | Georgia | $45,553 | $25,000 | 10,429,379 | 410 |
| 14 | Illinois | $52,349 | $30,000 | 12,802,023 | 232 |
| 15 | Nevada | $45,237 | $26,000 | 2,998,039 | 72 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $45,339 | $25,000 | 10,273,419 | 288 |
| 17 | Iowa | $48,319 | $29,000 | 3,145,711 | 73 |
| 18 | West Virginia | $41,964 | $23,000 | 1,815,857 | 60 |
| 19 | Louisiana | $44,647 | $25,000 | 4,684,333 | 95 |
| 20 | Kentucky | $42,250 | $24,000 | 4,454,189 | 119 |
| 21 | Delaware | $46,706 | $25,000 | 961,939 | 27 |
| 22 | Maryland | $44,481 | $24,000 | 6,052,177 | 197 |
| 23 | Connecticut | $45,145 | $24,000 | 3,588,184 | 93 |
| 24 | Alabama | $42,766 | $24,000 | 4,874,747 | 121 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $45,530 | $26,000 | 3,930,864 | 54 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $40,006 | $21,000 | 1,342,795 | 76 |
| 27 | Utah | $43,818 | $26,000 | 3,101,833 | 82 |
| 28 | Colorado | $41,070 | $25,000 | 5,607,154 | 227 |
| 29 | Arizona | $42,639 | $24,000 | 7,016,270 | 177 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $40,495 | $22,000 | 5,024,369 | 168 |
| 31 | Oregon | $45,111 | $27,000 | 4,142,776 | 74 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $43,481 | $23,000 | 1,059,639 | 28 |
| 33 | Ohio | $39,361 | $22,000 | 11,658,609 | 319 |
| 34 | Missouri | $41,034 | $24,000 | 6,113,532 | 159 |
| 35 | Massachusetts | $41,845 | $22,000 | 6,859,819 | 263 |
| 36 | Minnesota | $40,592 | $25,000 | 5,576,606 | 177 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $40,690 | $26,000 | 579,315 | 12 |
| 38 | Virginia | $39,543 | $21,000 | 8,470,020 | 310 |
| 39 | Vermont | $36,980 | $20,000 | 623,657 | 33 |
| 40 | District of Columbia | $45,894 | $24,000 | 693,972 | 29 |
| 41 | Indiana | $35,308 | $20,000 | 6,666,818 | 243 |
| 42 | Alaska | $40,654 | $24,000 | 739,795 | 17 |
| 43 | Maine | $33,455 | $18,000 | 1,335,907 | 74 |
| 44 | Montana | $30,448 | $20,000 | 1,050,493 | 50 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $35,421 | $23,000 | 755,393 | 27 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $37,886 | $23,000 | 1,920,076 | 52 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $35,512 | $24,000 | 1,427,538 | 18 |
| 48 | Idaho | $32,818 | $20,000 | 1,716,943 | 49 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $30,895 | $20,000 | 869,666 | 30 |
| 50 | Wisconsin | $33,539 | $19,000 | 5,795,483 | 131 |
| 51 | Washington | $32,174 | $20,000 | 7,405,743 | 165 |
Highest paying states for vehicle inspectors
| Rank | State | Avg. Vehicle Inspector Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | $54,146 |
| 2 | New Mexico | $55,679 |
| 3 | Mississippi | $48,654 |
| 4 | Texas | $48,574 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $66,026 |
| 6 | Tennessee | $47,498 |
| 7 | New York | $51,083 |
| 8 | Kansas | $52,619 |
| 9 | Michigan | $47,441 |
| 10 | Arkansas | $51,175 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $45,959 |
| 12 | California | $52,192 |
| 13 | Georgia | $45,553 |
| 14 | Illinois | $52,349 |
| 15 | Nevada | $45,237 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $45,339 |
| 17 | Iowa | $48,319 |
| 18 | West Virginia | $41,964 |
| 19 | Louisiana | $44,647 |
| 20 | Kentucky | $42,250 |
| 21 | Delaware | $46,706 |
| 22 | Maryland | $44,481 |
| 23 | Connecticut | $45,145 |
| 24 | Alabama | $42,766 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $45,530 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $40,006 |
| 27 | Utah | $43,818 |
| 28 | Colorado | $41,070 |
| 29 | Arizona | $42,639 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $40,495 |
| 31 | Oregon | $45,111 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $43,481 |
| 33 | Ohio | $39,361 |
| 34 | Missouri | $41,034 |
| 35 | Massachusetts | $41,845 |
| 36 | Minnesota | $40,592 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $40,690 |
| 38 | Virginia | $39,543 |
| 39 | Vermont | $36,980 |
| 40 | District of Columbia | $45,894 |
| 41 | Indiana | $35,308 |
| 42 | Alaska | $40,654 |
| 43 | Maine | $33,455 |
| 44 | Montana | $30,448 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $35,421 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $37,886 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $35,512 |
| 48 | Idaho | $32,818 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $30,895 |
| 50 | Wisconsin | $33,539 |
| 51 | Washington | $32,174 |
Vehicle inspector best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025